1. Technical Field
The invention generally relates to archery targets used with bows and crossbows and, more particularly, to compressed-material archery targets used with high-velocity arrows and bolts. Specifically, the present invention relates to a target that may be manipulated to release the compressing force from the target material so that the user may easily remove the arrows from the target material.
2. Background Information
Bow and crossbow hunting of wild game and the sport of archery are popular pastimes in the United States. Sportsmen use archery targets to improve their skills before hunting. Archery targets are also used in target shooting competitions. In the context of this application the term ‘arrow’ is used to refer to arrows and bolts regardless of whether they are shot from a bow, a compound bow, or a crossbow.
A variety of archery target constructions are known in the art. As arrow and bolt speeds approach 350 feet per second on their way to 400 feet per second, target constructions have been developed to safely capture the arrow or bolt. One such target construction is a compressed material target that includes a plurality of stacked material layers placed under compressing force. The compressing force increases the density of the material layers thus increasing their stopping power. One common material is foam although other compressible materials may be used. When foam layers are used, they may be fabricated from open or closed cell foam sheets that each may have a thickness of between one-sixteenth of an inch ( 1/16″) to one-quarter of an inch (¼″) with a density range of three (3.0) pounds per square inch to seven (7.0) pounds per square inch. The foam layers may be made from polyethylene foam. A plurality of foam layers are stacked together and compressed in a frame or other retaining structure to increase the density of the foam to increase the arrow stopping power of the target.
A drawback with compressed foam targets is the amount of force required to remove an arrow embedded in the foam. When arrows are very hard to pull from a target, the shooter practices less. Younger children may not even be able to remove an arrow from some targets. Removing an embedded arrow from some targets can be difficult and can damage the foam material thus shortening the effective life of the target. Pulling an arrow from a compressed target material can also damage the arrow. A slightly bent or deformed arrow is dangerous. Those who use compressed foam targets desire a target construction that allows the arrows to be easily removed from the foam material.